Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Salukis picked second in MVC preseason coaches poll
09/27/2019 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
MVC Release
ST. LOUIS — The Southern Illinois women's swimming and diving team has been projected to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason coaches poll, the league announced Friday.
Defending MVC champion Missouri State (64) was picked to finish first, as they received all eight first-place votes. Indiana State (44), Northern Iowa (43) and Illinois State (34) rounded out the top five behind SIU (54). Slotted in the six-seven-eight spots were Little Rock (23), Evansville (16) and Valparaiso (10).
Southern is under the direction of first-year head coach Geoff Hanson, who took over for 32-year coaching veteran Rick Walker. He will be assisted by Ivan Sanchez (2nd year), Johno Fergusson (1st year) and long-time Saluki diving coach Chunhua Zhao (17th year). Hanson spent the last three seasons as the head swimming and diving coach at Division II Colorado Mesa. He led the Mavericks to their highest-ever finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships in both 2018 and 2019 and was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2019.
SIU is coming off its third straight runner-up finish in conference-championship action. Six Saluki swimmers that earned All-MVC honors in 2019 return. Seniors Laura Carver, Payton Parman and Samantha Parsons have been All-MVC selections two or more times. Beibei Ji headlines the returning divers, as she claimed titles in both diving events at the 2019 MVC Championships and was named conference diver of the week four times.
Southern also adds seven newcomers to the mix in 2019-20. Freshmen swimmers Hannah Petrone and Sarah Vogt both won individual state titles and were four-time state qualifiers in high school. SIU's lone transfer, Sierra Forford, swam under Hanson at Colorado Mesa from 2017-19, where she set multiple school records and placed seventh in the 100-yard freestyle at the 2019 D2 National Championships.
The Salukis will open the 2019-20 season on Oct. 4 with a dual meet at McKendree.
For the latest updates on the Saluki swimming and diving program, follow the team on Twitter @SIU_SwimDive, on Instagram @SIUSwimAndDive and on Facebook at Saluki Swimming and Diving.
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Missouri State (8) – 64
Southern Illinois – 54
Indiana State – 44
Northern Iowa – 43
Illinois State – 34
Little Rock – 23
Evansville – 16
Valparaiso – 10
Players Mentioned
